


Finding Home

by MsAngelAdorer



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Constructive Criticism Welcome, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Happy Nico di Angelo, Nico di Angelo-centric, No Camp Jupiter, Not Canon Compliant - The Heroes of Olympus, Post-The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson), no romans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28640172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsAngelAdorer/pseuds/MsAngelAdorer
Summary: " . . . A home is more than just a place to stay. It is the people who surround you, who you let into your life and learn to trust and let them trust you in turn.”After the Titan War's conclusion, Nico di Angelo comes to find home in Camp Half-Blood, shown through the friendships he forms.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Connor Stoll & Travis Stoll, Nico di Angelo & Hestia, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Comments: 12
Kudos: 23





	1. Hestia

**Author's Note:**

> AU from the ending of The Last Olympian. When Rachel Elizabeth Dare gives her first prophecy, it is not the Prophecy of Seven, which rather than come to pass during Percy and co.'s time will instead happen years later. Instead, she gives a small prophecy that won't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Also, Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo do not apply for this story, so many elements introduced (like the Romans) do not exist.

**Hestia**

Nico was just about to leave Camp Half-Blood for good when he found reason to stay.

It had been unexpected. The first week at camp after the war with the Titans had been . . . well, maybe not great since there’d been lots of funerals for all the people who’d died, plus new demigods showed up pretty much every day with all the satyrs working overtime. It was still a massive improvement over what his life had been like before, when he’d mostly wandered or lived in the Underworld. For once he actually felt like people were treating him less like the creepy death kid and more like an actual person. Sure, they mostly just looked at him in interest or were Ares kids asking him to give a play-by-play of his fighting in the Battle of Manhattan but it was nice to have his powers be complimented for once and have people offer to let him sit at their table. That had gotten him through the beginning of the construction of the new Hades cabin. 

Well, apparently his warm welcome was over. It felt like he’d gone back in time, the way their eyes reflected their discomfort. Maybe they were a bit bothered when he appeared from the shadows. But considering this was a demigod camp where their director was the god of wine, they had a climbing wall with lava on it, a whole cabin could control plants, and Percy Jackson was an actual human being and not something off a card from his old Mythomagic collection (sometimes Nico wasn’t so sure), he felt disappointed that _he_ was where they drew the line on weirdness.

You creep people out too much, Nico thought. And he supposed he’d never be able to change that. He could get rid of the black clothes and the Stygian sword (though he doubted he’d fight as well with Celestial Bronze) but it wouldn’t make the Pegasi or animals like him. People would still flinch at the sight of him or keep their distance. He was a child of the Underworld; he radiated death. Children of Hades weren’t meant to stay with the living. 

One morning he rose early enough that there were fewer demigods than usual who were awake. Construction for cabins still went on around him and he heard laughter in the distance. His feet made no noise as he walked through the camp. The campers he did see wore the familiar orange Camp Half-Blood shirts. Many were older than him but after all the losses and all the new additions, he saw many more who were close to his own age than even just earlier that summer. 

Nico eyed the strawberry fields in the distance, then looked away, continuing on. He passed the lake, thinking to himself that something about being near that water felt familiar. Perhaps he’d spent time on a beach at some point in the memories he no longer had.

Eventually he decided to stop in the archery range, hiding in the shadows.

As expected, the children of Apollo were early to rise and already he saw multiple members of cabin 7 practicing. Will Solace stood off to the sidelines, watching one of his sisters. 

Nico felt his heart ache. How nice it would be to have older siblings to worry over you. He turned around and hurried off to the mess hall pavilion. 

The day passed relatively uneventfully. He did all his activities and construction of his new cabin on autopilot, feeling more out of place by the minute. Chiron had asked about his mental state at meals. Nico mumbled something about being tired, which was true. He was so tired—of the demigod life, of being a child of Hades, of being _different_. The centaur had looked at him like he didn’t buy the excuse but left him alone. 

During the campfire that night he saw Hestia and decided to speak with her. He remembered the first time he had stumbled upon the goddess of the hearth. He’d only just come to camp, had felt abandoned by Bianca, and still thought if he wished for something hard enough that it would have to come true. The goddess had been kind to him, offered him advice about adjusting to his new life, and he had repaid her by never visiting until right before taking Percy to bathe in the river Styx. Gods, he was an awful friend. 

He walked up to her. Around him several other campers were focusing on the sing-a-long. He did his best to tune them out and ignore anyone who stared (which wasn’t likely—Hestia was often unnoticed). 

Hestia was as always in the form of a young girl as she tended the fire. She beckoned to him as she walked off. He followed as they went to the edges of the forest. Finally she stopped at a log. A fire came into being and she immediately began to poke it with her stick.

“Hello again, my lady,” Nico said, giving her a smile. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Oh, you never do,” she said, looking up at him with her red eyes. Her headscarf reflected the colors of the firelight. “I know why you have come to me. All who are looking for home come to the hearth, whether they know it or not.”

He gulped. While Hestia was easily his favorite god or goddess, it was still always unnerving how they always knew you better than you knew yourself. “So you know that I’m thinking about . . . leaving camp.”

“The decision is yours. A home is more than just a place to stay. It is the people who surround you, who you let into your life and learn to trust and let them trust you in turn.”

When it was laid out like that by the goddess of home herself, it was a wonder how Nico had thought things would be different just because he’d brought his father and an army of the undead. Trust was hard to come by among demigods. 

And you aren’t worth trusting anyway, he thought as he turned the ring on his finger. He felt the dead stir beneath the ground and tried to get himself under control. 

“Can—” He stopped, started again. “Can I trust other people when I don’t really think I’m worthy of it myself?” Normally he wouldn’t be so candid but Hestia was staring at him with her kind and piercing eyes; he couldn’t withhold anything from her if he tried. 

“That’s up to you, Nico,” Hestia said. “In the end, you must decide for yourself. You desire to find a home. Camp Half-Blood could be that for you or perhaps something else. Think about all the people you know here and ask yourself if you feel a connection to them, that you would like to get to know them better. Perhaps they could come to understand you better than you think.”

For once Nico wished one of these gods would just give him a yes or no answer. Yet he understood her point all the same. While Percy was the one at this camp he knew the best, he did have others he’d spoken to in the last couple of years. He had even once lived in the Hermes cabin himself. Maybe . . . 

The goddess smiled at him. “I believe you are coming to the answer. My help is no longer necessary. And remember Nico di Angelo, you may be a son of Hades, but you are your own unique person. Do not let your past experiences color your interactions with everyone.” 

And then, before he could ask her anymore, the goddess in child form disappeared. Nico was left, as he often was, alone in the darkness. He stayed there for a long time, giving it thought, to the point that he had to sneak past the cleaning harpies to get to bed. 

The next day at breakfast, he made his decision, taking a seat at the Hermes table. 

“Hey,” Nico said to the Stoll brothers. “Still want to play poker?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic apology for cheesiness, especially the uninspired title.
> 
> This will function like oneshots, though they will connect. Next chapter will probably more or less pick up where this left off, exploring Nico's relationship with the Stolls, including some of their backstory. No guarantee I won't abandon or delete this. I am pretty certain this will rewritten at some point. 
> 
> Characters I have ideas for: Percy, Will, Clovis, Leo (though obviously with a different backstory since he's not one of the Seven), Pollux, maybe Mr. D since I liked their dynamic in Tower of Nero and he did imply he felt bad for Nico at the end of Battle of the Labyrinth, Lou Ellen, Butch from Iris cabin, Rachel Elizabeth Dare
> 
> Characterization wise, I'm primarily sticking with the original Percy Jackson characterization, though you'll notice I borrowed a bit from Blood of Olympus since it's the only book thus far with Nico POV. In general I'll probably mix and match a bit for some of the others as well.


	2. Connor and Travis Stoll

**Connor and Travis Stoll**

When Nico first got to camp, he’d been placed in the Hermes cabin like all unclaimed demigods. The Stoll brothers, mischievous pranksters with wicked grins, were the head counselors of the cabin and they had immediately tried to welcome him into the demigod family. 

At the time it had been wonderful. Sure, it was _super cool_ that Greek gods and monsters actually existed. And it was even cooler knowing that he, Nico di Angelo, was a demigod and was going to be a hero like Achilles, like Jason, like Percy Jackson. But considering Bianca had only just gone off to join Artemis and her band of immortal girl scouts, it was good to know that some people still wanted him around. 

Connor and Travis had seemed to see him like their own little brother. Looking back, he could see why. Just like Nico and Bianca, both brothers were full-blooded siblings—Hermes had fallen in love with their mother and even gone back to her a second time, since, despite how much they looked alike, they were not twins. Apparently their mom had a history as a prankster herself; her day job was as an ESL teacher. And he supposed at the time their personalities hadn’t been so different. Nico had done his best to play poker with them but it wasn’t that fun since he had no money. Rather, he’d tried to get the Stolls and the rest of the Hermes cabin into Mythomagic. 

“Too complicated,” one of the campers had said. “What do the figurines have to do with the cards? Why not just use the cards?”

Nico had launched into a long explanation but most of the eyes of the people in the vicinity had begun to glaze over and Connor Stoll had insisted maybe he should work on sword training instead. He had pouted but obliged. Older campers like Charles Beckendorf told him throughout the days he spent there that he wasn’t bad “for a beginner.” Nico had tried to take that in stride but there were stories shared at the campfire about Percy, how he’d been brilliant with a blade even when he first showed up at Camp Half-Blood. 

He was two years older than you, Nico told himself. Maybe with some practice you’ll be awesome. And whenever he got to thinking about his disappointment with not being as strong as he wanted to be his thoughts would go to Bianca and how strong she’d gotten in just a few days. He asked Travis if that was why he hadn’t been claimed by his godly parent—he was a disappointment. 

Travis’s expression was serious as he answered. “Maybe. But sometimes you just never get claimed. But it’s not your fault. No matter who your parent is, you’re welcome with us.”

Nico had only stayed in the Hermes cabin for a little while but he really felt like he was beginning to make it his own. Sure, there were the nightmares but the senior counselors assured him that demigods had nightmares all the time and that they weren’t always true. Or if they were true, it didn’t have to mean they would happen anytime soon. So despite how poorly he slept at night and how worried he was over his sister, he’d begun to learn to let Camp Half-Blood be his new home. 

Until Percy returned with the news of Bianca’s death. 

* * *

Nico had breakfast at the Hermes table just when camp was about to adjourn for the year tomorrow and most everyone else would go back home to the mortal world. Despite most people having been claimed already, most kids still chose to sit at this table either out of habit or to be with their friends so Nico had had to show up early to secure a spot for himself. The Stolls were already there, giving out advice to some of the new campers. He joined the rest of the table as they got their food and made their sacrifices (his to Hestia). 

“Hey.” He took advantage of his intimidating stare and aura to get the brothers’ attention. “Still want to play poker?”

“Maybe,” Connor said with a raised eyebrow. “How’ve you been, by the way? Your cabin looks pretty cool.”

Nico shrugged. “Adjusting. You know I’ve mostly lived in the Underworld and it’s just . . . different—”

“Not being around dead people?” asked Travis and a new Hermes kid. 

“Yeah.” For one thing, except Minos, the dead tended to not ask many questions. “The cabin is going okay.”

“That’s good.” Connor patted him on the shoulder but stopped when he stiffened. “It’s good talking to you again. And yeah, poker sounds great for dinner tonight. Heard you used to play a lot of games. Let’s see if you’re any good.”

“You’re on.” 

The poker game at dinner that night ended with Nico losing more often than winning but it was fun all the same. Sure, some of the kids at the table had asked some questions he really didn’t want to answer ( _What’s the Underworld like? What’s it like having Hades as a dad? What was the Labyrinth like?)_ but for the most part the conversation was comfortable. A couple even complimented his fashion sense, which was new. 

“You look cool,” one girl said. 

“If you’re into that kind of thing,” said a son of Hermes, Cecil. “Though that Stygian iron sword is pretty awesome.”

Nico nodded. “It’s useful.” Inside he was glowing from the compliments. 

The night went so well he even stayed for the campfire. He didn’t join in on the sing-a-long but he clapped and laughed with everyone else. He stayed with the Stoll brothers, helping them with a minor prank that ended up getting discovered quickly but was worth it for all the laughs it caused. 

Nico went to bed that night with a grin. 

The next day was the last day of the summer session. Nico got his first camp necklace and that summer’s bead: The Empire State Building with the names of all the dead heroes written in Greek letters. He took it with a solemn nod, remembering all the deaths he’d felt at the battle. At Percy and Annabeth’s insistence, he also got the bead for the previous summer. 

“Looking good,” Travis told him as he put the necklace over his head. “You look like a real camper now. All you need is a camp T-shirt.”

“In orange? No thanks.” Though maybe he would wear it if it came in a different color. 

“You’ll change your mind someday,” Connor said. “After all, camp is home and we’re your family, remember?”

“Yeah,” Nico said, “I do.” And he felt like he was starting to believe it. 

* * *

And that was how Nico formed his friendship with the Hermes cabin counselors. Most of the others went home for the school year, so camp was slightly quieter. There were so many new demigods and cabins now, though, that it still was much fuller than Nico had ever seen it. At first it was overwhelming, but once the new Hades table was finished and he was able to live fulltime in his cabin he came to look forward to those moments he got to socialize. Connor and Travis made an effort to visit him when they could, and he (as the Hades cabin representative) tended to join their team for Capture the Flag. Though Nico wasn’t big on physical contact, he let the brothers pull him into a group hug the first time their combined team won. 

As they got closer to each other, the more Nico could tell them apart. Travis was the older brother but it was Connor who seemed to think more about the future. He liked brainstorming lots of different careers he could pursue when he aged out of camp. Travis, meanwhile, had no idea what he wanted to do but he did know he wanted to travel the world. 

“Anywhere in particular?” Nico asked. He’d done a fair bit of it himself since he had gotten shadow travel down. 

“All over.” Travis looked up at the clear sky. They sat over by Thalia’s pine tree. Nico played with blades of grass. “Hermes specializes in travel and I just love that. Seeing everywhere, meeting everyone, speaking to them in their native language . . . No idea what kind of job that means. Business, maybe. I mean, I love camp. Home away from Mom’s. But sometimes I just feel trapped, y’know?”

“Yeah.” He supposed that was why Bianca had jumped at the opportunity to join the Hunters. They had been trapped in the Lotus for so long and then Westover Hall. They had never been allowed any real freedom. “Plus new people to prank?”

“Well, duh. I can never miss a good chance to pull a prank. It’s like they’re asking for it.” Travis and he shared warm smiles. 

The brothers also had been serious when they said they considered Nico their family. When he sometimes was feeling down or overwhelmed by nightmares, one of them would invite him to participate in a prank or camp activity with them. They even asked him to teach them Mythomagic. 

“You sure?” Nico had been tempted to insist he didn’t play that children’s game anymore but Percy had said it was okay to be a kid sometimes. And even though it came with bad memories, he still knew every card and stat by heart. 

“Yup. We even got a hold of a set of cards. We don’t have most of the figures but this should still work, right?”

He nodded. He’d had to play without most of the figurines, which had been annoying considering the number of decks he’d had at the height of his collection. 

Both brothers turned out to be pretty good at the game—when they didn't cheat, anyway. 

The Stolls were so nice to him that it made him feel bad that there wasn’t much he could do for them in return. As he spent more time in their presence, he grew capable of telling when they were exhausted or overwhelmed, which was still fairly often despite housing less children in their cabin. Sometimes Nico caught Travis with dark circles under his eyes that he recognized in the mirror but could do nothing more than offer support, like a hug or a talk. Usually he was the one doing the talking, which was awkward at first before Nico felt himself become almost as talkative around the older demigod as he had when he’d first come to camp. Like he’d been with Bianca. 

He really was like a brother, Nico thought. He never said it aloud but he knew Travis and Connor got the message. 

If Nico was being honest, though, his favorite moments with the Stolls were when he gave their cabin a failing score in the monthly cabin inspections. The looks on their faces were always priceless. 

Sure, he tended to get pranked in retaliation but that wasn’t too bad. He could just summon some skeletons. It helped that they had never found his powers creepy at all. 

Nico’s friendship with the Stoll brothers was one he came to cherish. They had their ups and downs, their fights, but in the end Hestia was right: there _were_ people who could understand him. Over time he found others, but they were the first at camp he opened up to. And he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this will definitely get rewritten later but I needed to get this down before my muse left me because being honest this fic exists purely so I could write Nico and Hestia in the first chapter and then Nico and Stoll brothers friendship fluff in this chapter. I will get a beta at some point and fix it because this is way cheesier than I wanted it to be. Once again must remind me people there is no guarantee I won't abandon or delete this.


End file.
